A gang who stole hundreds of thousands of pounds in ATM raids are facing lengthy jail terms.

The crooks were finally captured in Arbroath after interrupting their getaway for a McDonald’s breakfast – only to find themselves surrounded by armed police. Led by crime kingpin Andrew White, 28, the gang used a stolen HGV as a mobile HQ to carry the cars and gas canisters they used to blast out the ATMs, and even had hammocks in the back of the lorry.

Yesterday, seven of the crew were convicted of conspiring to cause explosions and burgle commercial premises.

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“They didn’t think about the dangerous nature of what they were doing and the potential that they could cause serious and significant injuries to others through their recklessness.”

The biggest prize on the arrest list at the takeaway was White, who was on police “most wanted” lists for ATM robberies in the UK and Spain.

White, from St Helens, was found guilty of conspiracy to cause blasts and admitted the burglary charge.

He had previously been cleared of 31 gas bomb attacks on ATMs in England which had netted nearly £800,000.

The jury heard White co-ordinated some of the gang’s activities on a hidden mobile phone from his prison cell while on remand for other alleged offences.

His brother Anthony White, 26, was found guilty of both charges along with Michael Galea, 41, and Gary Carey, 40.

Nanu Miah, 28, of Birmingham, was found guilty of conspiracy to cause explosions and admitted the second charge.

They stopped off at McDonald's for breakfast and were caught

Two other men, Carl Cavanagh, 33, and Anthony Conroy, 29, admitted both conspiracies. Scott Pearson, 35, was found not guilty of conspiracy to burgle commercial premises.

Andrew White, Conroy, Cavanagh and Miah were caught at McDonald’s and appeared from custody at Forfar Sheriff Court – along with a fifth man who did not figure in the Liverpool trial – three days later.

One local who witnessed the events described the shoot-out as like something from downtown Los Angeles, remarking: “You don’t really expect this in Arbroath.”

The court was told how the gang used vehicles to drag ATMs away from some of their targeted locations, after sawing through doors and shutters with high-powered tools.

CCTV clips showed the devastating impact of the gas explosions used in other raids, while shocking dashcam footage revealed how police chased the crooks at speeds of 150mph. In court, the prosecution said the robbers riskily pumped oxyacetylene gas directly into ATMs via rubber tubing and ignited it – often using a spark from a car battery.

They made rude gestures to the camera

The gang targeted 13 cashpoints in several parts of England and Scotland from February 2015 to February 2016.

Evidence gathered covertly revealed they were using a variety of fast stolen cars, including high-powered Audi RS4s and RS6s and Mercedes A45 and GLA45 AMGs.

Prosecutor Ian Unsworth QC said the gang used “dedicated, ruthless and sophisticated methods to steal vast quantities of money”.

They drove their stolen vehicles in a “terrifying way” and relied on a huge number of mobile phones to avoid being caught.

Dashcam footage from an unmarked police vehicle showed one silver estate car cross straight from lane three of the M6 motorway to the hard shoulder.

The gang were eventually brought to justice following a seven-month joint investigation between TITAN and Police Scotland.

He said: “This group of men ran an extremely intelligent and highly organised operation which involved planning their criminal behaviour in Liverpool before travelling throughout Scotland and England to carry out raids on ATMs.

“They employed evasive and complex tactics to avoid detection and put both the public and themselves in danger.

“The communities that were targeted by this group are safe places to live and not exposed to crimes of such a serious, dangerous and crude nature.

“The impact on the people who live within them cannot be overstated and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their information, support and patience throughout.

“Serious organised crime seeks to undermine our safety and I am in no doubt these convictions will go a long way to making our communities safer places.”